The Bulletin of Marine Science presents
Fish at Night Film Festival
The Bulletin of Marine Science is proud to partner with Beneath the Waves, Inc., a global platform for ocean conservation, education, and discovery. Their mission is to raise awareness regarding critical marine issues, foster the advancement of science, and promote the protection of our oceans.
Each year, Beneath the Waves hosts 20 events around the world in which they share the stories of ocean enthusiasts, scientists, and conservationists through short films. There is truly no experience like bringing people together, dimming the lights, and presenting the issues and stories first-hand.
For the first time, Beneath the Waves is hosting a special film festival showcasing films about night-time ocean science and ocean adventures. Have you been in the ocean at night and seen something remarkable? Have you attempted to study the behavior of a marine creature in the darkness? We want to hear your stories!
Films will be presented at the first-ever "Fish at Night" symposium in Miami in November 2015. Symposium registrants are able to participate in the event as part of the symposium registation fee.
Film Festival Program
Thursday, November 19th, 2015, 8:00pm
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| CHISEMBE: SHADOW HUNTERS OF THE MALAWI Filmmaker: Matt Arnegard Affiliation: University of British Columbia Runtime: 8:13 minutes Country: USA Synopsis: The film provides an intimate view into one night in the life of the mormyrid electric fish known locally as “Chisembe” (Mormyrops anguilloides). In a lake already famous for cichlid fishes, behaviors of this unfamiliar nocturnal predator include electrosensory prey detection, pack hunting, and electrical activity suggestive of communication between pack members. As with many other natural systems used for investigating animal behavior, film contributes to a better understanding of the extraordinary behaviors of M. anguilloides. |
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| SQUIDILICIOUS 2 Filmmaker: Gary Hawkins Affiliation: Independent filmmaker Runtime: 4:57 minutes Country: USA Synopsis: Divers find a sea of squid eggs laid off the coast of San Diego and investigate the biology and ecology of these amazing creatures. |
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| DISCOVERING THE ABYSS Filmmaker: Gritta Veit-Köhler Affiliation: German Center for Marine Biodiversity Research Runtime: 5:00 minutes Country: Germany Synopsis: On our deep sea expeditions we collect meiofauna, one millimeter sized animals that live within the sediments of the sea. The geographic distributions of many already described deep sea species, especially those of meiofauna size, are unknown. New records of species of the ben-thic copepod families show geographic distributions that extend over thousands of kilometers. Submarine ridges and canyons do not appear to be barriers to dispersal of those species. Follow us on our long journey from sampling in the sea bed to working in the lab to describing a new species. |
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| NIGHT OF THE MOBULAS Filmmaker: Julie Ouimet Affiliation: N2Pix Runtime: 2:23 minutes Country: Canada Synopsis: Mexico’s Baja peninsula is renowned for its massive schools of Mobula rays but their nighttime behavior has rarely been documented. As twilight nears, the massive school gathers to feed. Under the cloak of darkness, we enter their world. Zooplankton attracted by our lights becomes easy prey. As soon as we submerge, the feeding frenzy begins as a countless number of rays quickly begin to circle. Observing this behavior rapidly becomes intense and surreal. Entranced and mesmerizes, we behold the secret night realm of the Mobulas. |
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| RIPPLE Filmmaker: Jennifer Berglund |
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| XIBALBA: THE MAYAN UNDERWORLD Filmmaker: Elke Specker Affiliation: IN2 Focus Media Runtime: 4:50 minutes Country: USA Synopsis: Xibalba, The Maya Underworld filmed during a weeklong trip to the cenotes in Tulum, Mexico, diving seven different cenotes, from deep pit cenotes with clouds of hydrogen sulphide, to spec-tacular cave formations, haloclines and beautiful root structures with aquatic life. This film is about Xibalba, which translates as “place of fear” to the Maya, who believed that the cenotes were gateways to Xibalba, the underworld. |
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| ANTARCTICA: THE HUNT FOR THE KILLER CRAB Filmmaker: Honey Whitney Affiliation: Florida Institute of Technology Runtime: 11:00 minutes Country: USA Synopsis: Antarctica is one the last pristine places left on Earth, or so we thought. For millions of years, the animals of the Antarctic sea floor have evolved in splendid isolation, with essentially no predation pressure from the crabs, sharks, and bony fish that control marine communities everywhere else in the world. Now, climate change is drawing down the barriers to invasion by predators, threatening Antarctica’s unique ecosystems. Antarctica: The Hunt for Killer Crabs documents a voyage of scientists from around the world to try to get a glimpse of what could be a new killer on the sea bottom. Join them on their journey to find this new predator and see what may lie ahead for the animals that already live there. |
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| WHALE FALL: AFTER LIFE OF A WHALE Filmmaker: Sharon Shattuck Affiliation: Independent Filmmaker Runtime: 5:00 minutes Country: USA Synopsis: What happens when a whale dies? In this short video compliment to Radiolab’s ‘Loops’ episode, co-directors Sharon Shattuck and Flora Lichtman explore concepts ranging from ecological suc-cession to the poetic nature of death, through intricately detailed paper puppets. |
We look forward to seeing you in Miami!
Austin Gallagher and Erica Staaterman
President and Vice-president
Beneath the Waves, Inc.
